14 DAY TRIAL // We are in 2007, right? Apple and Microsoft have been fighting since the beginning of the 1980s, and the battle keeps moving from a field of battle to another, with highs and lows, as it happens usually with such long term struggles. As an example, in 1984, the year when the first Mac was launched, Apple reached a peak of almost 16 percent of the market, but now is much lower, trying to reach a global market share of 5% in the next year. No to mention the market share of computers using Microsoft operating systems, because we all know where they are now...
Leaving the computer market behind, in the entertainment market, Apple rules without any serious challenge, its iPods going higher and higher each day and pushing the company forward more than any other of its products, but this summer, things may change. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that Microsoft's Zune is not going to beat the iPod in the next two years, no matter what happens, but there's another device that can compete with the iPod, and even bring more features...
Obviously, it's the iPhone, since this device is going to include an iPod, a revolutionary phone and an advanced Internet device, as Steve Jobs was saying when he introduced it at Macworld and we were all able to see in the countless presentations and reviews that followed almost instantly, online and offline. Now, Microsoft seems to challenge Apple on the mobile market too...
According to a tip received by CrunchGear, Microsoft is working on its own phone, and the rumors go as far as pointing out yesterday as the day when the Microsoft execs met to point out details and developing strategies, as well as timescales for the release of the new product. Since this is a project that is just starting these days, if the rumors prove to be true, of course, all the following specifications are nothing more than suppositions, but it's good to check them out...
The new mobile phone from Microsoft will be a smartphone able to use an interface similar to that used by the Zune, instead of running Windows Mobile, and should be able to connect to the Xbox 360 and stream multimedia data using a wireless connection.
The last fact that seems to be "certain" to CrunchGear's tipsters is that this device will be available for the holiday season, which means we have less than 10 months to wait. Well, my greatest disappointment about this entire story is that we don't have a name for the MsPhone yet, but I guess zPhone would be good, don't you think so?
